title: Perspective taking modulates positivity bias in self-appraisals: behavioral and event-related potential evidence.
abstract: Previous studies have reported that when people self-reflect--they typically judge the self as more positive (or less negative) compared to others on a range of dimensions (such as health, social skills, or achievement). In the present study, we investigated whether viewing the self through the eyes of other people reduces this egocentric (self-centered) bias. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were examined in 17 subjects who performed judgments of adjectives in positive or negative valences from either self-perspective or other-perspective. Reaction times revealed an interaction between the factors perspective and emotional valence. Faster responses occurred after positive words in the self-perspective condition. A similar interaction was observed in the ERP waveforms in the time range of the N400 component: smaller N400 amplitudes were elicited by positive stimuli compared to negative stimuli in the self-perspective condition, but not in the other-perspective condition. Similarly, a reversed pattern was found in the late positive component (LPC) at 415-815 ms. The present study suggests that shifts in perspectives between self and others can change self-appraisal, which in turn reduces egocentric biases of the self. On a neural level, this modulation may be associated with an increase in self-monitoring processes.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology , Northwest Normal University, Lánzhōu, China. zhouselflab@163.com
authors.forename: Aibao
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Shifeng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herbert
authors.forename: Ruixue
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Kepeng
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Qiongying
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Deyun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012647:Self-Assessment; D055815:Young Adult